A Safe Work Method Statement(SWMS) is a document used to describe how to control identified health and safety risks following the preparation of a risk assessment. Method statements, which are widely used in the construction industry, outline ways on performing a particular job or accomplishing a project and ensures that necessary precautions or control measures are communicated to those involved.

Creating methods of statement helps provide evidence that significant health & safety risks have been identified and there are safety systems in place. Initially, it must be written after performing a risk assessment for a job that will take place.

As the job commences,, the method statement serves as a ‘live’ document that will continually be reviewed; this will help account any sudden occurrences that may need adoption of revised work practices. Ensure your Safe Work Method Statement is worth the paper it is written on. A generic one statement catches all document is usually not adequate.

SWMS documents need to be constructed in collaboration with every stakeholder in the project, as project leaders through to workers need to be aware of the identified high risks, and the best practices in mitigating against those risks. These documents should lay out clearly the audited risk assessment of a project and environment, and the steps that the organisation commits to in order to mitigate against them.

In NECA Generic SWMSs, the aim is to draw your attention to your responsibilities as a person conducting a business undertaking (PCBU), you are responsible for reviewing and implementing the NECA Generic SWMS into your own safety management system.

The benefit to making use of NECA SWMS documents is that you get the peace of mind that the templates have been drafted by a true expert. These documents have been written in close consultation with Safety Regulators, Electrical Network distributors, Construction companies and Electrical contractors, so by investing in them you gain access to robust and exact documents that recognise the general needs that particular verticals need of the SWMS.

Drafting up an SWMS from scratch can be a time consuming, expensive proposition. With NECA, you get the launching pad that you need that will save you and your organisation time and money, while remaining fully compliant to your safety regulations. The documents in this pack are not aimed to meet all of your legislative requirements, but assist you in establishing an initial Safe Work Method Statement framework that can be built upon over time.

With the right Safe Work Method Statement Template, one can easily and quickly build a site specific SWMS. A PCBU must also ensure that workers have received induction and consultation of the Generic SWMS before undertaking any construction work, and a site induction before commencing work on a specific site. NECA does not ensure that supplied Generic SWMS will pass all principal contractor or builders SWMS review process. Amendments may need to be made to suit principal contractor or builder requirements.